Wild 2, Blue Jackets 1: Kaprizov's 10th in Nine Games

October 18, 2026 - Saint Paul - Cam Talbot killed a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:52. Two minutes after that, Kirill Kaprizov still found the short side from the bottom of the left circle. Grand Casino Arena had the lead it wanted. Columbus never got another puck past Jesper Wallstedt.

The Minnesota Wild beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1. Minnesota is 6-2-1, undefeated at home in four, four of five, the NHL recap said. Columbus is 3-4-0, three losses in four. Shots were 34-14 Minnesota. The NHL recap tied those 14 Columbus shots for the second-lowest single-game total in Wild franchise history (13 against Anaheim on Jan. 18, 2003). Attendance was 18,012, per ESPN.

Adam Fantilli, Cam Talbot, Yakov Trenin, Maxim Shabanov, Sean Monahan, Conor Garland, Charlie Coyle, Damon Severson, Jonas Brodin, Blake Coleman, Calvin Pickard, Ryan Hartman, Zach Bogosian, Matt Kiersted, Tyler Pitlick, and Rieger Lorenz are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Danila Yurov scored. Joel Eriksson Ek assisted on Kaprizov for his 200th career helper, the NHL recap said. Wallstedt stopped 13 of 14. Talbot stopped 32 of 34. Matt Boldy led all skaters with six shots. Zach Werenski played 28:43 and had the first assist on Fantilli's goal.

Yurov at 18:12, Fantilli at 19:12

Wallstedt's first real work came two minutes in. Garland broke in. Wallstedt stopped him. Then Minnesota took two penalties, and Talbot had to make three saves on the 5-on-3, the Associated Press recap said. The Blue Jackets survived that kill. They did not get a shot total that matched it.

Yurov opened it at 18:12 of the first. The NHL recap had Trenin sending a pass and Yurov finishing a wrist shot off an odd-man rush, his fourth goal in nine games. The Associated Press recap had Trenin scooping a turnover at the Columbus blue line, beating a defender, and feathering it across the slot for a tap-in. Either way, it was 1-0 on a play Columbus never got back.

Fantilli tied it 60 seconds later. Delayed penalty. Six-on-five. Slap from the top of the left circle through traffic. 1-1. Rick Bowness told NHL.com the effort was there and the execution was not, no real flow, and that was the disappointment. Fantilli said they put pucks in guys' feet, put teammates in tough spots, and did not get enough shots. He also said Talbot stood on his head and gave them a chance.

Short side from the left circle

Kaprizov scored at 3:06 of the second on the power play. Sharp angle, low left circle, over Talbot's shoulder. Assist from Shabanov and Eriksson Ek. Talbot told NHL.com he gave him a little too much, and Kaprizov put it in a great spot.

That was the last goal. Minnesota's third period was another zero, the one Wallstedt talked about after. He told NHL.com they controlled a lot of the game, knew Columbus was on a back-to-back after a good Saturday, and when the Blue Jackets pushed, Minnesota stood strong.

Kaprizov told NHL.com the first couple games felt a little tough, and after two, three, four, he felt better. The NHL recap put him on a six-game point streak (seven goals, five assists). It also said he is the fastest Wild player to 10 goals, ahead of Brian Rolston's 12-game mark in 2006-07, and the sixth active player to hit 10 in nine games or fewer. He has scored in each of his last four against Columbus. Boldy's six shots pushed him to 41 for the season, second in the NHL, that same recap said. Minnesota has a power-play goal in eight of nine games (9-for-28).

Columbus hosts Toronto on Tuesday. Minnesota visits Edmonton that night to start a five-game trip.

AthX Engine on a 14-shot night

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Kaprizov at 7.50 (the goal, five shots, the power-play bonus). Yurov is 6.40. Fantilli is 6.20. Werenski is 4.80. Eriksson Ek is 3.70. Boldy is 3.10 on six shots and two penalty minutes. Wallstedt's win, 13 saves, and one goal against land at 7.00. Talbot's 32-save loss is 10.40.

Minnesota's team line is 15.40. Columbus's 1-2 is 0.20.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Kaprizov 10-goal start in nine games, and for a Blue Jackets group that killed a 5-on-3 and still finished with 14 shots. They are not the same number.

Track Kaprizov, Yurov, Wallstedt, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard, ESPN NHL scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020135. Information only; not financial advice.*